Card holders



T. F. UPTON CARD HOLDERS Feb. 25, 1964 Filed June 1, 1962 FIG " "HIL.

II\VENTOR.

flmu M ATTORNEY United States Patent tion of Delaware Filed June 1, 1962, Ser. No. 199,301 4 Claims. or. 4e 124 This invention relates to card holders and more particularly for holders for a plurality of so-called punch cards which identify certain materials by the punched holes therein.

The business operations of many companies include the use of bins which house various components such as screws, bars or other device or tool. One installation may comprise hundreds of bins, each containing hundreds of such items. Each such item may be identified by a punch card of the IBM type. ble that the bin structure have connected thereto a number of such cards which identify the items in the individual bins. Such bins generally comprise end columns or beams having vertically spaced holes whereby the shelves which form the bins may be adjusted.

With the foregoing in mind, I have devised a holder for a large number of cards which assumes a most simple form. The holder may be secured to the columns or beams and will serve to identify the items in each bin. The holder accommodates a large number of visually and manually accessible cards and maintains all of them in proper condition. It will be understood that such punch cards must be protected against bending.

The invention will be further understood from the following description and drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view illustrating the usage of the holders on the bin structure.

FIGURE 2 is a schematic view illustrating the formation of the holder.

FIGURE 3 is a front elevational view of the holder.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary, enlarged, cross-sectional View of the holder as attached to the bin structure; and

FIGURE 5 is a front elevational view of a modified embodiment.

Referring to FIGURES l4, the body It) of the device is formed from a unitary or integral length or sheet of flexible paper stock such as cover stock which, for example, may be 14 long and about 3 wide. It is formed into zig-zag shape as illustrated in FIGURE 2, the ends 11 and 12 being about A" and folded inwardly. The folds produce successive panels 13, 13a, 13b, etc., each of which is 3 in height while their zig-zag formation spaces each one upwardly from the next by A". However, the lowermost panel 14 is 2% because of the presence of the fold 12 which is about A". The same applies to the uppermost panel 15 on the back side of the body. All the remaining panels are 3" as above set forth. In the form shown seven pockets 16, 16a, 16b, 16c, Md, The and 1-61 are thus formed. It will be understood, of course, that the back side of the folded structure also provides seven pockets 17, so that if the holder is simply flipped over, the pockets 17 will be visually and manually accessible.

Lowermost panel 14 and the back side uppermost panel 15 form respective pocxets which avoid possible damage to cards by inturning their pocket defining edges or ends 11 and 12 and thus avoiding raw edges.

In FIGURE 3 is illustrated a punch card 18 of the type accommodated by the holder and which must be protected against bending. However, the top punch card illustrated in FIGURE 3 would ordinarily be unprotected near its top edge 18a inasmuch as the depth of the top pocket is 3 while the usual length of the card It is highly desira- "ice 18 is 3%". The same situation exists as to a card inserted into the lowermost pocket 17, on the back side of the body. Accordingly, I provide stiffeners 19 and 20 which serve as backing plates for the lowermost card on one side and for the uppermost card on the other side respectively.

Stiffeners 19 and 2t! also function as handles and reenforcements. They are fabricated of pressboard. Stifiener 19 is 3 /2" in length, the exposed portion 1% thereof extending past the bottom pocket and being about /2. Stilfener 20 has an overall length of 5", although starting about 1 /2" from its top end is formed a series of scored transverse grooves 22 which tend to bias its top portion or outer end 23 rearwardly as illustrated in FIGURE 4. Top portion or outer end 23 is formed with a pair of lateral or horizontally spaced openings 24 for permitting mounting or connection of the holder as will be hereinafter explained. Opening 24a may be used when only the center portion of the holder body will be secured as will hereinafter be set forth.

The holder of FIGURES 1-4 is assembled by securing the side edges of the panels and stiifeners together. This is very simply accomplished by disposing a channel-shaped bead edge or binding 25 at the respective side edges and simply stitching the bindings in place through the panels and stifieners as illustrated by the stitches 26. This completes the formation of the holder.

It will be understood from the foregoing that the assembled holder holds seven cards It; in upwardly staggered relationship on one side of the holder and seven cards on the other side making a total of fourteen. Of course, this number may be increased or decreased as desired. In any event, it is to be noted that a large number of cards may be accommodated by the simplified structure described herein.

The bin structure 3% includes end columns 31 having vertical-1y arranged holes 32 to permit the vertical adjustment of shelves 33 as by screws 34. I use the holes 32 for the purpose of mounting the holders adjacent to the bins, the contents of which they represent. However, in order to facilitate the mounting, as will hereinafter be described, I employ an adaptor plate 4i? having two holes which are vertically spaced so as to permit connection of the plate 40 to the column 31 as by screws 41 and 42. Plate at; is also formed with up per laterally disposed holes 43 which are complementary to the holes 24 so that portion 23 of the stiifener member 20 may be secured to the plate 40 as by the bolt 45 and nut 46. However, plate as may be optionally fabricated of wood whereby the portion 23 may be simply stapled or even glued thereto in which case, the holes 43 would not be used.

The invention as illustrated in FIGURES 1-4 is utilized as follows:

After having assembled the holder, its front face will have inserted therein a card in each pocket which will correspond to the items in the bin adjacent to which the holder will be mounted. The opposite face of the holder will also have its pockets similarly filled. The holder may then be mounted by employing the adaptor plate 4G and the complementary holes 24 and 43 respectively. Of course, staples or glue may optionally be employed. The horizontally spaced holes 24 insure that the holder will not swing from side to side. It is also feasible to mount the holder directly to the column 31 as by using the central hole 24a. However, the use of the adaptor plate it? is preferable because it permits mounting so as to avoid side-swinging, as well as permitting mounting by staples.

After installation, the holder may be utilized by consulting the front cards 18 and pulling them out as desired for utilizing such cards, e.g., inserting them in a machine which acts pursuant to the punches therein. if the cards on the reverse side of the holder are to be consulted, the user simply grasps stiffener l9 and, using it as a handle, swings the holder upwardly whereupon the back cards are presented for inspection or removal.

The foregoing thus represents a very convenient system for holding punched cards for selection and withdrawal adjacent to physical items which the cards represent.

It will be further understood that one composite holder may be mounted directly under another holder as by employing lower holes 51 in the adaptor plate. Thus, the various holders will be vertically overlapped and will considerably increase the capacity of the overall structure.

In FIGURE I show a simplified holder. This diifers from the previously described embodiment only in the elimination of stii eners. The holder 50 of FIGURE 5 is fabricated essentially of cover stool; so as to provide successive panels '13 and the lowermost panel 14 which have been above described. They are sewn in position by the use of a bead edging or binding 25 stitched at the respective side edges of the holder as above set forth. The simplified version shown in FIGURE 5 will generally be used by gluing or otherwise securing it in place against a support whether an adaptor plate 4% or in any other environment. It will be recognized, of course, that such gluing will render only the front pockets accessible since swinging of the holder to provide access to the rear pockets will not be possible. Many holders 50 may be incorporated in a portable structure by mounting them side-by-side, as in a book or album. The holder described results in a structure of relative lightness since so many cards may be held in so small a space. I have shown preferred embodiments of my invention, but it is obvious that numerous changes and omissions may be made Without departing rom its spirit.

What is claimed is:

l. A card holder comprising an integral length of sheet folded in Zig-zag shape to form a plurality of pockets on both sides thereof, and a binding secured to each side edge of the folded sheet and maintaining the sheet in said shape, said folds forming panels on each side of the holder, the lowermost panel on one side, and the uppermost panel on the other side, having their pocket defining edges inturncd to form a folded edge, said folded edges being secured in place by said side edge bindings, and top and bottom stiffeners inserted between successive folds and serving as backing plates for the respective upper and lower portions of the holder, said stiffeners extending past the respective top and bottom pockets.

2. A card holder according to claim 1 and who said stiffeners are intersecured with the pockets by side edge bindings.

3. A card holder comprising an integral length of sheet folded in zig-zag shape to form a plurality of pockets on both sides thereof, and a binding secured to each side edge of the folded sheet and maintaining the sheet in said shape, said folds forming panels on each side of the holder, the lowermost panel on one side, and the uppermost panel on the other side, having their pocket defining edges inturncd to form a folded edge, said folded edges being secured in place by said side edge bindings, and top and bottom stifieners inserted between successive folds and serving as backing plates for the respective upper and lower portions of the holder, said stiifeners extending past the respective top and bottom pockets, said top stiffener being formed with scored grooves, said grooves biasing the outer end of said top stiffener rearwardly.

4. A card holder according to claim 3 and wherein said outer end is formed with two horizontally spaced connection holes for securing said holder against side swinging, said bottom stiffener serving as a handle to flip the holder when it is to be swung upwardly for er:- posing pockets on the back side of the holder.

rein said Wall Oct. 17, 1871 Heaton Apr. 6, 1886 

1. A CARD HOLDER COMPRISING AN INTEGRAL LENGTH OF SHEET FOLDED IN ZIG-ZAG SHAPE TO FORM A PLURALITY OF POCKETS ON BOTH SIDES THEREOF, AND A BINDING SECURED TO EACH SIDE EDGE OF THE FOLDED SHEET AND MAINTAINING THE SHEET IN SAID SHAPE, SAID FOLDS FORMING PANELS ON EACH SIDE OF THE HOLDER, THE LOWERMOST PANEL ON ONE SIDE, AND THE UPPERMOST PANEL ON THE OTHER SIDE, HAVING THEIR POCKET DEFINING EDGES INTURNED TO FORM A FOLDED EDGE, SAID FOLDED EDGES BEING SECURED IN PLACE BY SAID SIDE EDGE BINDINGS, AND TOP AND BOTTOM STIFFENERS INSERTED BETWEEN SUCCESSIVE FOLDS AND SERVING AS BACKING PLATES FOR THE RESPECTIVE UPPER AND LOWER PORTIONS OF THE HOLDER, SAID STIFFENERS EXTENDING PAST THE RESPECTIVE TOP AND BOTTOM POCKETS. 